The major function of absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers and adult incontinent briefs, is to absorb and contain body exudates. Such articles are intended to prevent body exudates from soiling, wetting, or otherwise contaminating clothing or other articles, such as bedding, that come in contact with the wearer. The most common mode of failure for such products occurs when body exudates leak out of the gaps between the absorbent article and the wearer's leg or waist to adjacent clothing because they are not immediately absorbed within the article. This is most evident with loose fecal material which is not easily absorbed by the absorbent article and tends to "ride" on the top surface of the absorbent article.
Contemporary disposable diapers, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,003 issued to Kenneth Barclay Buell on Jan. 14, 1975, have a topsheet, a backsheet, an absorbent core, and elasticized leg flaps to improve both wearing comfort and the ability to contain body exudates. These elasticized leg flaps prove effective generally to prevent wicking and overflow from the fluid laden diaper to clothing contacting the edges of the diaper in that the elasticized leg flaps present a fluid impervious barrier between the edge of the diaper and the contacting clothing, and in addition, provide a gasketing action about the legs of the wearer. Despite the effectiveness of such structures, however, body exudates can leak through the elasticized leg flaps and soil the wearer's clothing because the diaper does not constrain the free flow of such material nor provide a structure to hold it within the diaper so that as such material freely flows on the top surface of the topsheet, it tends to work its way past the elasticized leg flaps.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article which has improved containment characteristics.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article having a pair of central elastic members which act to enhance the containment of body exudates.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article having floating inner cuffs that are free standing to provide a raised surface on the topsheet when the absorbent article is fitted on the wearer such that a ridge is formed which contains and holds body exudates within the absorbent article.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article having elastically contractible leg cuffs and a pair of floating inner cuffs formed from the central elastic members so as to provide a dual restraint against the leakage of body exudates, thereby improving the containment characteristics of the absorbent article.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article have improved positioning of the topsheet relative to the genital area of the wearer.
It is an even further object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article having improved fit by providing central elastic members that are floating such that they "seek" the leg crease of the wearer to provide a sustained tighter fit on the wearer since the central elastic members are free to move and adapt to the wearer's body. The improved fit of the absorbent article further enhances the containment characteristics of the absorbent article.
These and other objects of the invention will be more readily apparent when considered in reference to the following description and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.